Electronic Flash in Digital and Film Photography 349
that look more like those taken in a studio by increasing the size of the light source. For loca-
tion work, you can add a small soft box, available in sizes up to about seven inches, to the
front of the portable fl ash unit. The box reduces the light somewhat but this loss is more than
compensated for by the beautiful results. The portraits no longer have the typical snapshot
fl ash look.
SOME TECHNICAL POINTS
Checking Flash Sync
After removing the magazine or digital back from any Hasselblad SLR camera and connecting
the fl ash to the camera, look through the lens and check the fl ash synchronization (see Figure
18-12). Set the diaphragm and the shutter speed at the values to be checked. Point the cam-
era, with the fl ash ready signal lit, toward a light wall. Place your eye behind the rear of the
camera and trip the shutter. If you see the fl ash fi ring through the fully open shutter, the fl ash
is synchronized. Check different shutter speeds if desired.
Flash Firing Failures
If the fl ash does not fi re, fi rst check the ON/OFF switch. Check whether the ready light is on.
Ensure that focal plane shutter cameras are set at
1
/
90
second or longer. Check that sync cables
are in good order and properly connected. Try another cable. If a contact feels loose, gently
squeeze the contact with pliers into an oval shape, thereby making a fi rmer connection on
two sides. The PC contacts on the latest lenses include a cable locking device that makes such
separation almost impossible (see Figure 18-12).
Dedicated Flash with the 205TCC
The original 205TCC (not the FCC model) automatically changes to a “fl ash mode” when the
ready light in dedicated fl ash appears. The display shows the shutter speed physically set on
the shutter speed ring, not the one calculated by the meter, and the exposure is made at the
set speed. Use the camera in the Manual (M) mode with the shutter speed preset.
Studio Flash for Digital Photography
All fl ash units produce a voltage through the sync cable when the fl ash is triggered. Hasselblad
equipment is built to the ISO standard 10330, which means that there should be no problems
with any known brand of fl ash equipment and no special operating procedures are required.
Should you have any doubt, perhaps with unknown brands, do not connect the fl ash directly
to the digital unit or make certain that the fl ash unit is grounded to avoid possible damage to
the digital unit, which is not covered by the warranty. If you like to avoid any possible prob-
lems completely, make the connection to the fl ash unit via a remote slave triggered by a radio
or infrared signal rather than direct.
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